Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 22 -- SAT Hospital Superintendent Dr Riyas has defended the decision to provide an Indian-made medicine to patients suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), stating that it was selected on the recommendations of a state government-appointed expert committee and that the necessary approvals had been obtained from the Supreme Court and the Drugs Controller General of India.
Describing the initiative as an effort to make quality treatment available to more SMA patients at a lower cost, he said attempts to portray the distribution of the medicine as a drug trial were baseless and would create unnecessary fear among patients and their families.
The initiative sought to provide an affordable alternative to expensiv...